With the Wind | A Short Novel (12 page)

             
“Your time is up, Mr. Novikov.  Decide,” Anthony said as he picked up his cell phone.

             
“I love you, Misty, always and forever.  This does not change my heart.”

             
Misty said nothing; she just cried and stared out the window.

             
“I go, but I have no money to return to Russia.”

             
“I will pay for your plane ticket home.  Look outside.”

             
Two burly men were standing by a car.

             
“Those gentlemen will escort you to the airport and put you on the next flight to Moscow.  Your possessions have already been packed.”

             
“Misty, my love.  Never give up hope.  I am yours always.”

             
Then Daniel turned and faced Wilson.

             
“See to it that she does no harm to herself.  You owe her that, at least.”

             
“Daniel, wait…I…don’t.”  Misty rose to move toward Daniel.

             
Wilson held her.

             
She did not fight his restraint.

             
“We will always be together my love, even though we are apart.”

             
Daniel turned and walked away.

             
“No!” Misty shouted.  She rose to go after Daniel, but her father stopped her.

             
“My God, honey.  I am so sorry.  I wanted to spare you this horror.  My God.”

             
Misty collapsed in her father’s arms.

             
Daniel got in the car and drove away.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

             
“I’m glad you like them.”

             
“That’s very sweet of you, Wilson.  They’re beautiful.  I’ll put them in some water.”

             
“I’m trying, Misty. I really am.”

             
“I know. Give me some time.”

             
“Take all the time you need, love.”

             
Misty did not tell Wilson not to call her love.  But it still didn’t sound right.

             
Nothing was right, not anymore.

             
Things were right once.  Just for an instant.

A brief bright flash of right burst into her life and then…it was gone.

              It had been five months now.  Five months since Daniel left.

             
She was reading his latest e-mail.  She knew that she shouldn’t, but she was compelled. 

Compelled by her heart.

              He had written her long, wonderful letters.

             
As she read them she ached to be with him.  Not Daniel the pervert, but Daniel the man she adored.

             
Daniel the man she loved was writing to her.

             
He swore that he would return to her someday, that she would find out, somehow, some way, that he was telling the truth.

             
Every part of her wanted to believe him.

             
But why would Eva lie?

             
She was a sweet, innocent child.

             
After that horrible day Misty had sat down alone with her.

Eva repeated the same story, word for word.

              Daniel made her…Misty could not bear to think about it.

             
Now he was back in Russia. He had a camera again.  He was working on a new project for
Russian Life
. 

             
At least his dreams as an artist were coming true.

             
But she could tell, she could hear his voice speaking to her through the words on the page.

             
He was heartbroken, lonely, devastated.  Empty inside.

             
She felt the same way.

             
I need to grow up, Misty told herself.

             
My father loves me and wants what’s best for me.

             
He saved me from marrying someone who would have ruined my life.

             
It’s time to do the right thing.

             
“Wilson?” she called out, thinking he might still be in the next room.

             
“Yes, love?”  He had been waiting for her.

             
Over the past five months he had become a new man.

             
He sent her flowers every day.

             
He opened doors for her, spoke kindly to her, loved on her. 

He helped her grieve the loss of another man.

              That was an act of selfless devotion.

             
It did not go unnoticed.

             
Although she still felt no passion for Wilson, she considered what her passion had brought her.

             
Misery.  Nearly death.

             
Maybe passion is overrated, she argued with herself.

             
Understanding that life is more than passion, perhaps that is what it means to grow up.

             
“I will. The answer is yes.”

             
“Oh Misty,” Wilson said.

             
He kissed her.  It was a very good kiss.  Not dry or quick or without intent.

             
She felt nothing, but she did not expect to feel anything.

             
“Can we wait a few months?  Say around Christmas time?”

             
“Whatever you want, honey.”

             
Wilson had never called her honey before.  Only Daniel used that term of endearment with her.

             
“This time I won’t do anything silly or stupid, Wilson.  I promise.”

             
“I completely forgive you for what happened, darling.”

             
She believed him.  He had forgiven her. 

She would not have forgiven him if he was the one who broke their engagement to run away with another woman.

              Wilson loved her.  She was convinced of that now. 

Before she did not believe it, but now she did.

              She hoped that someday she would stop loving Daniel Novikov.

             
Every night, in her dreams, they were together.

             
But dreams are not real, they are dreams.

             
It was time to live in the real world.

             
It was time to grow up.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

              Saturday, December twenty third, 2004.  At two in the afternoon on this day Misty Anne Buffett would become Mrs. Wilson James Rubie.

             
That’s what all the invitations said.

             
The wedding was to be held at St. Madeleine’s Catholic Church in Forest Hills.

             
It was the social event of the year.

             
The reception would be held at the winery. 

Over five hundred were expected to come to the reception and wish the happy couple long lives with many children.

The Sunday before the wedding was to take place another event was held in St. Madeleine’s Church.

Eva Rodriquez, age thirteen, was anointed with oil and blessed with the Holy Spirit in the Rite of Confirmation.  She received First Holy Communion.

Eva went to confession for the first time.

A visiting priest, Father Anthony, was filling in for Father Mike.

What he heard shocked him, but he was powerless to act.

Father Anthony was not powerless to give Eva her penance.

He told her that she must confess her sin to those she wronged.

If she did not, her confession to him meant nothing.

Her confession to God meant nothing.

Her soul was in peril of hell fire.

Misty sat in her room and looked at her wedding dress.

It wasn’t beautiful, it was perfect.

It cost nearly as much as a new car, yet she would only wear it once.

Soon she would be married and she and Wilson would move into the house her father was building for them at Martin’s Pond.

On the very spot where she and Daniel used to sit on a blanket and talk for hours.

It had been a full year now since she had seen him, but she knew right where he was.

Daniel was in Thailand, taking pictures for
Russian Life
.

He had sent her e-mails and letters almost daily since he left.

He had not given up hope…not hope, belief.

Belief that someday all would be made right and they would be together.

She had not responded to any of his communications.

Not once.

Yet he kept sending them.

She read every one.  Would she keep reading them after today?

She didn’t know.

Misty heard a knock at the door.

It was little Eva.

She smiled at the girl. 

“Come to see me on my big day, honey?” Misty asked.

“Miss Misty, I need to tell you something.”

Eva was shaking and started to cry.

She looked just like she did that day when she accused Daniel of touching her.

“Honey, tell me.  It’s okay.”

“It is not okay, Miss Misty.  I will burn in hell.”

“Who told you such nonsense?  Little children do not burn in hell.”

“Father Anthony told me I would.  I know it too.  I deserve to be punished.”

“Oh honey, it’s alright.  Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I lied.”

“You lied?  About what?”

“About Daniel.  He never touched me.  Never.”

Misty’s mood instantly changed.  She became fully alert and on edge.

“What did you say?”

“My father told me that if I didn’t say those lies Mr. Buffett would deport us.  He made me lie to you.  Oh, I know that is no excuse.”

“Eva.”  Misty took the child’s face in her hands.  “This is very important.  Tell me the truth.”

“The truth is Daniel never did anything bad to me, ever.  He never made me touch him , he…”

Misty punched the intercom button on the phone.

“Rosie?”

“Yes, Miss?”

“Where is my father?”

“He’s in the study with Mr. Wilson.”

“Come up here please.  I need you to sit with Eva for a minute.”

“I’m on my way, Miss.”

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Misty had never known rage before.

She had been angry many times, but never enraged.